Gone World Savin' Again
by Ayane13
Summary: It's 3 years after the Demon World Tournament and things have been peaceful for everyone. But when trouble start brewing in Human World and a new threat appears, Koenma once again calls on Yusuke & co to fight where they've never gone before: America.
1. Here We Go Again

_**Chapter One: Here We Go Again  
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"I still don't get why we all had to come here to get Hiei. Why couldn't that punk just come to Human World?" Kazuma Kuwabara complained as he and his two best pals stepped onto the Demon World soil from the portal. He fell quiet and ogled at the vast forests and plateaus with their shades of green, blue, and brown.

"You know Hiei," Kurama replied with shrug. "He hasn't changed since you last saw him."

"Jeez, in six years ya'd think he'd lighten up or somethin'," Kazuma grumbled, still taking in the foreign landscape.

"I still don't get why he's being so damn stubborn. Guess he didn't miss us much, did he? I swear, if that bastard turns us down like he did Botan and Koenma, I'll drag him back to Human World by his teeth," Yusuke Urameshi said, hands going into his pockets as he glared out at the path they traveled on. "Didn't he turn you down too, Kurama?"

Kurama nodded. "Yes, but I sent a messenger to him. He never replied."

"Why do we need the runt anyway? I thought we were getting new teammates when we got to America," Kazuma asked, flinching away from a large, mosquito-like insect.

"Koenma doesn't know that they'll all cooperate, nor if our combined forces will be enough. He isn't really even sure who or what our enemy is. The more allies we have, the better our chances of victory," Kurama explained calmly.

Yusuke swatted the insect when it nearly flew into his face. "Stupid demon bug. Stupid America and its stupid problems," he muttered.

"What's your problem, Urameshi? You've been in a crappy mood since we left home," Kazuma inquired.

"Keiko's my problem! She's pissed off because I agreed to help Koenma and that means leaving her again! Now she won't even talk to me because I told her it's too dangerous for her to come."

"That doesn't sound like Keiko. What else did you do?" Kazuma asked, narrowing his already thin black-brown eyes at Yusuke.

"Nothing! Botan opened her big mouth and said that Genkai and Shizuru were coming, so Keiko wanted to come too."

"So why not just let Keiko come along? Genkai isn't going to fight, she's just back-up," Kurama said. "She can keep an eye on her."

"You try talkin' to Keiko when she's pissed. It ain't easy."

"Maybe I will, Urameshi. She'll talk to me," Kazuma said.

Kurama stopped walking and glanced to their right, bright green eyes catching a glimpse of the flash that went by them. "Hiei is here."

As Yusuke and Kazuma stopped, Hiei appeared on the trail in front of them... Kazuma nearly fell over.

"Jeez Hiei, can't you approach us like a normal person?" he exclaimed.

"Hn, if you're here to ask about me going to America with you, the answer is no. I have in interest in the affairs of Human World," Hiei stated, frowning when Yusuke started to laugh. "What's so funny, Yusuke?"

"You. You're still bite-sized. You really haven't changed at all."

Kazuma grinned. "No wait Urameshi, I think he grew a couple inches. Now he's a solid five feet!" The pair laughed more. Hiei only growled his annoyance.

"This is hardly helped our case," Kurama pointed out, though he was holding back a smirk of his own. "Hiei, we really could use your help. We don't know our enemies."

"That's unfortunate for you, but it means nothing to me. They can destroy Human World for all I care," Hiei replied coldly. Kazuma grabbed him by the neck of his overcoat.

"Listen punk, we were a team! Don't you care at all about us? We're the only friends you've got!"

Hiei only stared Kazuma down with void crimson eyes. "No, I really don't care."

"Why you!" Kazuma went to throw a punch, but Yusuke grabbed his arm.

"Stop it, Kuwabara. We both know he'd act like this. Let him go. He's not gonna change his mind."

Kazuma growled and let Hiei go. Kurama sighed, ready to leave when an idea hit him. "Oh Yusuke, did Botan mention that we have a healer joining us? Koenma thought it wise to send one besides Genkai, but he could only find one on such short notice-"

"Yukina is coming?" Kazuma exclaimed, forgetting immediately about Hiei and his poor attitude.

"It appears so," Kurama confirmed, watching Hiei closely. He seemed irritated. Perfect.

"I heard the rooms we're staying in are co-ed, Kuwabara. You can finally make a move and be alone with her," Yusuke added with a sly grin, winking at him. Kazuma turned red and laughed nervously.

"You're a pervert, Urameshi."

"Well, come on then. Since Hiei won't be joining us, we have no further reason to stay here," Kurama said, turning to head back to the portal. Kazuma and Yusuke followed.

"Later Hiei!" Yusuke called before whispering to Kazuma, giving him ideas for his 'move'. They only got a few yards down the path when Hiei ran up next to Kurama, a glare planted on his features.

"Change of heart, Hiei?" the long-haired redhead asked.

"I'll come along, but only because I'm sick of Mukuro and her belief that she is still king of the world. I grow tired of her demands," Hiei muttered.

Kurama smiled and nodded.

"Glad to have you on board, Hiei. Hope you've powered up that dragon of yours. I think we're gonna need it," Yusuke said as they approached the portal back to Human World.


	2. Something Old, Something New

**Chapter 2: Something Old, Something New**

"Welcome back, boys! You convinced Hiei to join us I see," Botan, the blue-haired grim reaper greeted Yusuke and company as the portal back to demon world closed behind them. She stood with four other women; Yukina, Shizuru, Genkai, and, to Yusuke's surprise, Keiko.

"Keiko, what're you doing here?" Yusuke asked. "You were pissed at me last I checked."

Before Keiko could reply, Botan intervened. "Is that anyway to greet your wife? She's here to join us to America!"

"I still think that's a bad-"

Kazuma covered Yusuke's mouth before he could finish his thought. "What Urameshi means is he's glad to see you."

Keiko sighed and shook her head before casting a glare at Yusuke. "I know how he feels and I understand, but I also know that I don't want to be left behind again. You have no idea how nerve-wracking it can be waiting for someone you love to come home, especially knowing there's a chance he won't come back…"

Yusuke rolled his eyes and shoved Kazuma's hand away. Keiko resisted the urge to slap him for his seeming coldness, but deep down she knew he understood her argument.

"Where's the toddler?" he asked. "Shouldn't he be briefing us or something?"

"There was an incident in America he had to look into," Genkai explained. "He'll be back soon with one of our new teammates."

"Another Spirit Detective?" Kurama inquired."

"Not quite," came a voice from behind the boys. Everyone looked to see the toddler prince of Spirit World floating next to a young woman with ebony hair and skin with a light coppery tint to it. Within the blink of an eye, however, she was surrounded by a dozen pale spirits, all garbed in Native American clothing and swirling around her.

"What in the hell…?" Yusuke muttered as his dark brown eyes took in the girl and her seeming protective vortex of souls. The girl smiled sweetly.

"Don't worry, they will not attack you," she said softly, though only a few in the group understood her.

"Uh, what did she say? Kazuma asked, scratching his orange-red hair with a puzzled expression. "Was that English? I never did well in those classes…"

"She was assuring us that the souls around her wouldn't attack us," Kurama explained, emerald eyes locked onto the newcomer. He noticed the glazed over grey tone to the irises of her eyes, the look of blindness, and yet that they seemed to focus on each person in turn. When she looked at him and frowned a bit, he froze. There was a brief silence.

"Pardon my staring, miss, but-"Kurama began awkwardly before she spoke up in English, Koenma acting as her translator.

"You have two separate auras coming from you. You possess two souls in a single body; one human, one demon. And yet… it is almost like they are merged in a way…"

"Whoa, what's she talkin' about? I never saw two souls or whatever from Kurama," Kazuma said, glancing between the two of them.

"She's referring to Suichi and Yoko Kurama, you fool. It seems in place of vision she can see a person's soul," Hiei offered. The girl turned to Koenma, not understanding their Japanese conversation. He quickly gave a translation and she turned her blind eyes towards Hiei.

"That is close, but not quite. I see auras based on a person's soul," she explained, a few more spirits appearing around her as her expression darkened a bit. "Yours is dark, but not enough to cause too much worry…"

"Hn. And what does that mean? That I'm evil?" Hiei inquired, an eyebrow raised.

"It means you walk a thin line between hero and villain," the girl replied. Hiei glared at her, but said nothing else as Koenma finished translating for the others.

"I didn't know you could speak English, Hiei," Yusuke said, breaking the silence that followed Koenma.

"He's a telepath, Yusuke, of course he speaking other languages," Koenma said. "Anyway, let's go inside. You all should relax a bit before we get to business."

The group began moving into Genkai's temple, Kurama only lingering long enough to walk by the new girl's side.

"I apologize for earlier. It was rude of me to stare like that," he began. "I'm Kurama. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Nakoma. You speak English well, Kurama. Don't worry about staring at me, I'm used to it. I sense eyes on me all the time when I'm around other's who aren't used to my condition."

"Well Miss Nakoma, allow me to escort you inside, if your spirits will allow it."

Nakoma smiled. "They won't allow any physical contact just yet. They haven't decided what to think of you."

The pair resumed their walk once again. Nakoma had no problem getting up the stairs or knowing where there was a door to open. They entered the temple where the others were waiting.

"Nice of you to join us. Now Koenma can start his babbling about why he's pulling us out of retirement," Yusuke grumbled. Kurama offered up a translation of his friend's words for Nakoma.

Koenma cleared his throat for attention. "As you all know, there has been trouble brewing in America. My sources have informed me that demons have been possessing humans and causing chaos. Nakoma here lost her tribe to it."

As Botan translated, Nakoma's smile faded and the spirits around her began giving off a slightly eerie grey glow. Kurama went to touch her shoulder, but drew back his hand when he felt the chill from the souls. One soul, that of an older male with a striking resemblance to the young woman he protected, paused to glare at him for a moment. Yukina, however, seemed unphased by the spirits and rubbed the other girl's arm comfortingly.

Hiei glared at Koenma. "Are you telling me your Spirit Defense Squad failed to do its job?"

Koenma sighed. "They didn't think so, but so far we have no other explanation. I have someone looking into it more now."

"Ghosts or some sort of spirits maybe?" Yusuke offered up.

"Could be, but the only spirits unaccounted for in Spirit World are those surrounding Nakoma."

"So we're calling it demonic possession without knowing if it's actually demons?" Kazuma asked. "So what if it's something more powerful?"

"That's why you're all going and why I've established help for you. There are new monsters in America that you'll have to face more than likely, so make sure you don't piss off your new teammates."

"Alright, sounds just like old times. So when do we leave?" Yusuke asked.

"Wait, new monsters? Shouldn't you be telling us about those now?" Kazuma asked.

Another sigh escaped the Prince of Spirit World's lips. "We'd be here for days if I did. You've been lucky enough to only deal with humans and demons, but outside of Japan, there's hundreds of other creatures. You can talk to Nakoma on the airplane if-"

"We're going on an airplane? Why not use a portal or something?"

"Yeah, why go through the trouble, especially with Hiei with us?" Yusuke inquired.

"It takes a lot of energy to make a portal, not to mention it will draw too much attention from other creatures," Genkai replied, finally joining the conversation to save Koenma some trouble. "Air travel is out best and fastest choice."

"America is very particular and not all of us have passports or identification," Kurama piped in.

"Already taken care of, so don't you worry," Botan said. "I have a friend that can hack into computer systems. She just sent your ID's and passports." She produced a large manila envelope and handed it to Kurama. He raised an eyebrow before opening it and pulling out some of its contents. He had a few papers as well as some ID's and a passport. Upon further inspection, he found that the passport was for Kazuma, the ID's for Hiei and Yukina, and the top paper a birth certificate for…

"Jin Tsukai? You mean Jin as in the one we fought in the Dark Tournament?" Kurama questioned.

"Whoa, let me see that!" Yusuke demanded, taking it from Kurama's hand. "Holy crap, is that really his name?"

"Well the first one is. We made up the last one," Botan explained as Yusuke snatched the other papers from his friend. He grinned as he flipped through them, finding each to be a birth certificate.

"Chuu, Touya, Rinku… Hell, even Hiei and Yukina have these now. What else do they get?"

"Well I believe she registered us all as American citizens as well as Japanese. She's very thorough, so I assume all the documents are in there and the necessary registration in the systems already," Botan replied.

"We had better hope she's thorough enough or we'll be dealing with more trouble than a horde of demons. Americans are quite a pain in the ass," Koenma said with a sigh.

Nakoma tapped Kurama on the shoulder, a polite smile on her lips when he turned to face her. "What's going on?" she asked.

Kurama blushed a bit, realizing he and Botan had forgotten to continue translating for her. "I'm so sorry, miss Nakoma, I got lost in the conversation…" he replied before recounting what had verbally transpired.

"Perhaps it would be wise for Yusuke and Kazuma to try to learn some English on the plane. Who are the others?" Nakoma asked.

"You'll probably meet them shortly. They are old friends of ours," Kurama explained.

Nakoma nodded. She seemed at ease despite there being demons in the room and her aforementioned experience with them. Even the swirl of souls had disappeared. "Will your other friends need to learn English as well?"

Kurama nodded. "More than likely, though Touya may not."

"Someone wanna translate that conversation for the rest of the class?" Yusuke interjected.

"Don't be rude, Yusuke. Kurama was just catching her up on what we were talking about," Keiko said.

Yusuke only pouted a bit, not wanting to annoy Keiko more than he already had. Shizuru stepped forward and took the envelope from Kurama. She pulled out some more papers and ID's and began handing them out. "So Botan, do you guys have mug shots of everyone?"

"They're not mug shots! Not all of them at least. But I do have some pictures of everyone."

"Since when do Kazuma and Yukina have the same last name? Bro, there something you wanna tell me?" Shizuru turned to Kazuma, who turned red as a stoplight.

"No! Botan, why would you do that?" he asked, though his voice was even for someone trying to express annoyance.

Botan laughed nervously. "Oh Kuwabara, I didn't think you would mind being unofficially married to Yukina!"

Kazuma didn't say anything else, just glanced to Yukina, who smiled sweetly back. He turned even redder with a big goofy smile, assuming that was her way of saying she approved.

Kurama translated for Nakoma again, who giggled a bit. "Is Yukina okay with that?"

Kurama chuckled and shrugged. "I'm sure she doesn't mind, but she probably doesn't quite understand what marriage means. She spends most of her time with Genkai, who is not exactly the romantic type. I doubt anyone had explained to Yukina about marriage in any detail."

"She has a very pure aura. Very bright and the closest to white in the room, despite the demonic twist to it. Does she speak English?"

Kurama shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. Perhaps you could teach her on the plane."

Nakoma nodded before glancing in Hiei's direction. "His mood is darker. Why is he angry?"

Hiei redirected his death glare from Kazuma and Botan to Nakoma, snapping, "It's none of your business."

Nakoma stared blankly back at him for a moment before letting out a long breath. "I'm sorry, Hiei. I will keep my curiosity to myself."

Yusuke put a hand on Nakoma's shoulder. "Kurama, is Hiei being an ass already?"

"Just his usual self," Kurama replied.

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Translate for me… Don't mind Hiei… um… What's her name?"

"Nakoma."

"Nakoma! Right, like I was saying, Hiei can be a real asshole, but he grows on ya. He won't admit it, but we all know he cares."

Hiei glared at Yusuke, who only stuck out his tongue in return. Nakoma giggled before, through Kurama, thanking Yusuke and assuring him she wasn't bothered by Hiei's moodiness. Yusuke smirked and gave her a thumbs up that Kurama informed her of. She smiled in return before glancing at the sliding doors of Genkai's temple. "There are six demonic auras just outside…"  
>"About damn time!" Yusuke said as oncoming footsteps reached the group's ears. The doors slid open and in came the six old demon friends.<p>

"Yusuke Urameshi! It's been a while! How ya doin', how's the wifey?" asked the crimson-haired Jin, voice fast and hard to understand with its thick Irish accent. He moved to shake Yusuke's hand, giving Keiko a hug when she moved to greet him.

"We're pretty good, Jin. What about you guys? How's livin' in Demon World?" Yusuke inquired.

Each member of the group had their own answers, mostly complaining about the lack of anything to do but spar with each other.

"I say by now we gotta be strong as you, Yusuke," the Australian-accented Chuu replied, giving Yusuke a pat on the shoulder.

"I doubt that."

"Y' wanna test it?"

"I don't think we have time for that, Chuu," Touya interjected.

"There's always time for a brawl, ain't that right, Yus-… Well now, who's this pretty little sheila?" Chuu asked as he approached Nakoma, a big grin on his face and a red tint to his cheeks. "'Ello love, the name's Chuu. What might be yours?"

Kurama translated for Nakoma, who chuckled and gave her name. Chuu raised an eyebrow.

"Not from around here, eh? That's English, ain't it?"

"Yes it is. Nakoma is one of our American teammates," Kurama explained.

"Oh right! Well," Chuu turned back to Nakoma and offered his hand. "It's a please t' meet ya."

Nakoma was about to accept the handshake when her tornado of souls burst forth to surround her once again. She frowned and huffed out a breath of irritation. Chuu jumped back.

"Bloody hell, what's with that!"

"Oh stop it! He's a friend," Nakoma scolded the spirits as Kurama explained them to the new arrivals. The souls slowly faded, leaving a blushing Nakoma to apologize for their surprise 'attack'. After Kurama's translation, Chuu shrugged and smiled at her.

"It's no problem."

"Well I hate to cut this reunion short, but we need to get you all ready to leave," Koenma announced. "I trust that I won't need to explain how this flying thing will work. We need to meet back here in five hours so we can all stay together. For anyone who doesn't understand how human air travel works, ask Kurama or Keiko. I have some arrangements that need to be made back in Spirit World. See you all in five hours."

Koenma and Botan disappeared. The humans of the group left to pack, with the exception of Nakoma and Genkai. The older woman knew enough English to keep the girl comfortable.


	3. Demons on a Plane

**Chapter 3: Demons on a Plane**

Everyone was packed and ready without any incidents. The large group reconvened at Genkai's temple, Koenma in teenage form giving a brief review of what he's already said. They all then traveled to the airport in the setting sun, each equipped with forged IDs and passports. The demons all had to disguise their true, inhuman features.

Everything was going smoothly until they reached the body scanners.

"Sir, we need you to remove your shoes and jacket," the security guard said to a glaring Hiei.

Hiei was about to tell him off when Kurama placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just do as he asks, Hiei. There's no time for stubbornness."

Hiei growled, but did so, revealing his sword at his hip. The guards went into a panic and moved in to arrest him. He disappeared however, along with his jacket and boots. He reappeared next to Yusuke on the other side, completely redressed. Yusuke rolled his eyes.

The confused guards looked around, but he moved whenever they started looking in his direction. An angry traveler yelled for them to move it along. They had to resume their previous jobs and the rest of the group got through

"Botan, be sure to call your hacker friend and have her get rid of anything that could get Hiei into trouble," he whispered to the grim reaper.

"Yes sir," she replied, pulling out her hot pink cell phone and sending a text message as the group walked to the sitting area for their plane. A moment later, her phone buzzed. She smiled at Koenma. "She's on it."

Once they reached their designated area, most of them sat down. Hiei stood by the window, staring out and watching the planes coming in and taking off. Jin and Nakoma joined him. Though she couldn't see out the window, she didn't want to sit down, knowing the plane ride would be a very long one. She wanted to stand with others, more comfortable in the foreign place with someone else near.

"Oye, such a shame, it is," Jin sighed, breaking the silence. "I could fly to America faster than any of those things. And I don't make the air smell bad."  
>Nakoma looked at him, confused, but trying to understand him by listening close to the tones of his voice. "Hiei, could you-"<p>

"He's complaining about the airplanes," Hiei cut her short.

Nakoma sighed. "Thank you… Could you tell him-"

"No. Learn the language yourself. Have Kurama teach you."

"What's goin' on now?" Jin asked, glancing between the two.

"Nothing," Hiei replied, turning his back to them and moving to a solitary corner to glower alone in silence.

"Well, he's a cranky one, that's fer sure…" Jin muttered, though he had a small smile on his lips. When Nakoma only gave him a confused smile, his eyes went wide in recognition "Oh right! Ye can't speak Japanese, I forgot. So sorry, but I don't know English myself," he prattled on before waving at Kurama. "Oye, Kurama, could y' translate for me?"

"Sure!" Kurama stood from his chair and walked over to the pair. "What did you want to tell her?"

"Just tell 'er I said Hiei is a crab ass and that I would rather fly t' America by myself instead of riding in one of those big, stinky things…"

Kurama translated for Nakoma, who giggled a bit. "I suppose the smoke they give off would be rather smelly."

"Exactly!" Jin replied after Kurama translated for him. "Tell ya what, I'm gonna go get lessons in English from Touya while we wait. Got nothin' better t' do and starin' out the window just makes me wanna fly away…" The red-head then glided to a seat next to Touya, though he was smart enough to keep his feet low to the ground so as not to be too obvious.

"I like him. He has a lot of positive energy," Nakoma said.

Kurama nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Say, it might not be such a bad idea to start teaching you Japanese. Would you mind if I taught you some things now?"

Nakoma beamed up at him, nodding her approval. Despite the fact that they were going to a country where English was the primary language spoke, the Native American enjoyed learning new things and knew it would make things easier on the others if she could speak to them in their native tongue.

~

The group boarded the plane without much incident. They took up the back of the coach section, with the exception of Koenma, who sat in first class. None of them seemed too keen to stay in their original seats, switching around to sit by whomever they liked within their team. Jin and Rinku crowded around Touya and Genkai in the very back and requested English lessons. Chuu, on the other hand, choose to sit next to the yammering Suzuka, eventually falling asleep with his head against the window. Hiei was the only one who sat alone, glowering out the window at the black sky. He ignored everything and everyone, including the flight attendants. Sleep would not come to him even when he closed his eyes and cleared him mind.

Kurama and Nakoma had chosen to sit next to each other so Kurama could continue to teach her Japanese. It seemed they were both enjoying the lessons, an eager teacher for an equally eager student.

Yusuke and Kazuma snickered while watching the pair from their seats the next row over. Kurama and Nakoma were oblivious to them, and to the world around them, it seemed. And though he was serious in trying to teach her Japanese, he couldn't help but laugh with her when she mispronounced a word or made a funny face when he talked too fast. His dark green eyes were locked onto her, lighting up whenever she successfully pronounced a word.

"Boy, he sure does seem to be enjoying himself over there," Kazuma snickered to Yusuke through the back of his seat. "Think he'll ask her on a date during the supposed "Japanese lesson"?"

"I have no freakin' clue, Kuwabara. I'm tryin' not to read too far into it but… Yeah, who am I kidding, Kurama totally has the hots for her," Yusuke replied with a laugh.

"Who does Kurama have the hots for?" Botan asked as she peeked over her seat at them, pink eyes huge with curiosity.

"Shhh, my sister will get pissy if we interrupt her listening to her tape…" Kazuma warned.

"She passed out already, so you don't have anything to worry about. Now, who does Kurama like?"

"Nakoma. Look at how he's actin' with her, laughing and all smiles like that… Man, I think he's already in the puppy love stage."

"Now THAT'S going far, Kuwabara. He barely knows her! Kurama isn't that impulsive."

"I dunno, he looks pretty damn happy if you ask me. I don't think I've ever seen him look THAT amused by anything," Yusuke shrugged, grinning as he watched his friend smile widely when Nakoma tilted her head in confusion. The former Spirit Detective didn't really care if Kurama actually had feelings for Nakoma like they thought or not. He was just glad his friend was happy.

"You know, Yusuke, you should probably take a page out of their book and let me start teaching you English," Keiko piped up, having been quietly sitting next to Yusuke.

"Oh, teach me too, Keiko, please?" Kazuma pleaded, peaking around the seats at her.

"Sure. Did Yukina fall asleep?" Keiko asked with a smile.

"Yeah and she looks like an angel…"

"Uhg, no mushy crap, Kuwabara. Let's just get this English crap done before I decide to pass out too," Yusuke interrupted, earning an eye-roll from Keiko despite her smile. She knew she had her work cut out for her, teaching the two of the most dense and easily distracted members of the team a difficult foreign language. But she tried anyway for the entire flight to America.


	4. American Greeting

**Chapter 4: American Greeting**

"Here Yukina, let me get your suitcase for you!" Kazuma offered almost too enthusiastically as he approached the baggage claim belt. It began to rotate slowly and soon their bags began appearing. Kazuma swiftly snatched up Yukina's before having to chase his own down the belt when he realized he'd missed them altogether in his excitement to help Yukina. His older sister rolled her eyes, but smiled as she pulled her own suitcases off of the belt. Yusuke, surprisingly, helped Keiko with her things, and soon enough everyone but Rinku was ready to go. The child-demon tapped his foot on the floor, frowning.

"Hey wait a minute, where's Shishi?" Yusuke suddenly asked, finally noticing the blue-haired imp's absence. The group turned to Suzuka for answers. He only frowned.

"How should I know? I'm not that pretty-boy's keeper…" he shrugged.

"There it is, finally!" Rinku announced, taking up his bag. Something was squirming inside of it, crawling upwards to the opening until the small, horned head of Shishiwakamaru in imp form popped out.

"That was the worst trip I have ever taken! I've been thrown around and smashed so much it's sickening!" he complained in a shrill voice.

"Next time, I'-" he was cut short by Rinku shoving him back inside the bag. Chuu and Yusuke nearly fell over from laughing too hard.

"Oye, why're ya makin' him ride in there, Rinku?" Jin asked, chuckling a bit himself.

"Shishi's been demoted to a kid's toy!" Yusuke blurted through his laughter.

"I have not! Watch it Yusuke, I'll kick your ass!" came Shishiwakamaru's muffled retort.

"He wanted to because he didn't want to be around all the humans," Rinku finally managed to explain with a sigh.

Other passengers and airline staff were staring and muttering about the strange group of Japanese tourists until the crowd moved from the baggage claim area towards the exit.

"What were those people saying? I saw them givin' us funny looks," Yusuke asked Kurama, who merely shrugged off his concern.

"Nothing of concern as far as I can tell…"

"Tisiphone!" Nakoma suddenly shrieked happily, bolting over to another young woman. The newcomer was pale and not nearly as nice-looking as the Native American girl, towering over her and many of the others present. Of course, her height was aided by large, black heeled boots that covered her tight blue jeans up to nearly her knees. A black and silver corset showed off her curves, and long black hair cascaded down to the small of her back in natural waves and curls. Even as she hugged Nakoma, her steel gray eyes studied the others.

"Hey, what's a teh-sih-phoney?" Kazuma asked. "Is that her na-" he was suddenly silenced when her cold gaze locked onto his black-brown eyes. He paled and took a step back. "Guys, please tell me she's on our side…"

"Koenma? She's signed on, right? Not just some over-powered whack job Nakoma happened to know?" Yusuke inquired, eyes widening slightly as he felt a chill from the power she was emitting. It rivaled the most powerful demons he'd faced in the past, including his own and the current demon king.

"She's definitely no opponent I'd wanna have… I've never seen such a strong demonic energy," Chuu commented, Jin and Suzuka nodding in agreement.

"She had better stop showing off that power. We're not the only demons around here," Kurama added, glancing around at the workers and travelers that stared at Tisiphone with expressions varying from downright fear to amusement and even annoyance.

Koenma sighed. "Tisiphone Nikitas. She's with us."

While the other's talked amongst themselves, Nakoma greeted her friend, ignoring her glare at the group. "It's been a while, Tisiphone. How have you been? Your aura is large and clear, as always. You really should turn that off…"

"You're the only one who can see the truth about me, Nakoma, and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible. Besides, there's a point to that this time," the demoness replied before a small smirk formed on her lips. "You're much happier than the last time I saw you. It's nice to see that smile again. If I'm not mistaken, that's the smile you get when you've taken an especially great shine to someone…"

Nakoma blushed and suppressed a giggle behind her hand. "It's not like that… I like our new allies is all. One is teaching me Japanese so I can better communicate with them."

Tisiphone raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. The effeminate redhead that keeps looking at us? "

"Hey! Don't pick on me first thing! That isn't fair!" Nakoma squealed. "And he's not effem- What's wrong?"

Tisiphone was suddenly casting an icy glare off to the side of the pair.

Tisiphone wasn't the only one who had noticed a sudden change. "Where's Hiei?" Touya asked, calling the other's attention to the broody demon's absence.

"He's probably waiting outside," Yusuke replied.

"No, look again. She's not looking at us anymore," Shizuru stated, nodding towards the right. Everyone looked at Tisiphone and followed her gaze. Hiei stood where Shizuru had indicated, his crimson glare focused right back at Tisiphone.

"Shit… Hiei, don't you dare!" Yusuke warned, but both Hiei and Tisiphone had already disappeared. There was a barrage of clanging sounds as the pair began attacking each other with rapid, inhuman speed that even Yusuke had trouble following.

"Tisiphone!" Nakoma cried indignantly. "Is that really necessary? He's not an enemy!"

The crashing of steel colliding with steel didn't stop, however. In the brief pauses and afterimages, the quick-sighted were able to see Hiei on the attack with his sword and Tisiphone fending him off with a massive scythe. They did no damage to their surroundings, and the fight was allowed to continue without interference. Tisiphone seemed to be biding her time, letting Hiei continue his onslaught. She was watching his movements carefully before finally going wide-eyed and counterattacking after a successful deflection. She took the upperhand, forcing him outside though unable to land a blow just as Hiei hadn't been able to.

The group followed them, an awed curse rising from a few of them when the fight between Hiei and Tisiphone finally came to its conclusion. Hiei was on his knees with Tisiphone behind him on one knee herself, the curve of her scythe's blade pressed against his throat. Hiei, however, hadn't lost. He held his sword behind his back, the tip of it digging slightly into the flesh of her neck just beside her jugular vein. Oddly, Tisiphone was smirking down at him.

"You're not bad, Hiei," she said, her scythe disappearing. Hiei reluctantly lowered his sword, grunting in reply as he put his weapon away and they both got to their feet.

"Your power is fake," he said flatly, earning an eye-roll from Tisiphone. Their conversation was in English, which forced Kurama to translate for the curious ears of Yusuke, Shizuru, and Kazuma.

"So part of it is. However, you should keep in mind that there was no victory for either of us here. You're no more powerful than I am," the demoness replied.

"Hn. You caught me off guard. It won't happen again."

"If that'll help you sleep at night," Tisiphone fired back before her attention was on the Prince of Spirit World.

"Honestly, Tisiphone? Did you have to provoke him?" Koenma asked. Tisiphone merely shrugged. Koenma sighed before giving the needed introductions and asking, "Are the living arrangement set?"

"As far as I'm aware, yes," Tisiphone replied. "Soul Bender took it upon herself to handle the purchase and details. I just gave her the money."

"Soul Bender? Why would you leave that up to her? Does she even know what houses I had picked?"

"She wanted to and frankly, I don't have the patience to deal with people like that."

"So can we get moving now?" Yusuke asked suddenly. "Keiko's bags aren't exactly light…" At Keiko's glare, Yusuke smiled and winked at her. Her expression softened.

"As soon as the bus gets here, right Tisiphone?" Botan stated in Japanese. Tisiphone nodded without a translation.

"That is shortly, right? I want to make sure Soul Bender picked the right houses," Koenma said, tapping his foot on the concrete impatiently.

Tisiphone glanced down at Hiei. "Ride inside of the bus, not on top of it."

Hiei glared up at her. "And why would I obey your orders?"

"Consider it a word of advice. Don't stand out to the humans here."

"Listen to her, Hiei. She probably knows best," Kurama piped in. Hiei only continued to glare.

"This is going to get annoying fast. I can't understand half of what you guys are saying!" Kazuma complained.

"We were telling Hiei to have some sense and ride in the bus," Tisiphone said in Japanese, taking him off guard.

"Wait, you speak Japanese too? Why didn't you talk that way before?" Kazuma inquired.

"Because I'm more comfortable in my native tongue, you buffoon. Don't ask foolish questions. You won't like most of my answers, Kuwabara."

Kazuma paled a bit, saying nothing else. He power levels and cold demeanor still intimidated him.

"Oh look, here comes the bus!" Botan exclaimed, breaking the silence that had followed Tisiphone's words.

"Finally…" Yusuke muttered. When the bus reached the curb and parked, the driver stepped out and opened up some large compartments in the sides of the bus, allowing the group to load up their luggage and board the vehicle. Tisiphone turned to Kurama on the first step.

"I've been trying to teach Nakoma Japanese, but it appears that you are much better at it than I am. You don't mind continuing to teach her, do you?"

"Not at all. I find it rather enjoyable. She's a very enthusiastic learner," Kurama replied with a smile.

Tisiphone nodded her thanks, suppressing her own knowing grin as she turned and found a seat across from Hiei. Kurama sat next to Nakoma.

"I see you're not entirely indisposed to advice. Good to know," Tisiphone said as Hiei scowled at the window. He made no reply, but the demoness noticed his eyes narrow for a moment in his reflection.


End file.
